1. START WITH A STUNNING HEADLINE
Grab ‘em at the get go. This is the one spot where you might lose the most readers, so make sure your words truly appeal to your target audience.
- Before you publish, test multiple headlines on focus groups.
2. IDENTIFY ONE MAJOR PAIN POINT OR DESIRE
And hone in on that point in your introduction. It’s very tempting to try and cram all the major benefits into the first paragraph, but it’s overwhelming for a reader.
- If you look at the examples of 5 greatest sales letters of all time, you’ll notice that there’s always a clear focus in the beginning.
- It’s like the first zingy taste of a meal – it’s just enough to make you want to eat (or read) more.
3. BE THE READER
You’re sitting at your desk or in an airport and along comes this piece of information trying, yes, to sell you something.
- Is the writer speaking to “you” (and using that pronoun)?
- Are you comfortable with the language and tone?
- Does it feel like a conversation you might have with one of your friends?
4. WORK WITH YOUR DESIGNER
If an image is worth a thousand words, an image that works in tandem with a great headline is worth a million dollars.
- Talk to your designers about which pictures will give you the most punch.
- Pay attention to their input – if they’re telling you the paragraphs are too long or the headline is weak, you have some work to do.
5. PLAY UP OUTSIDE CREDENTIALS
Testimonials can be especially effective in sales letters – if they make the point you’ve been trying to prove.
- Are your testimonials specific enough? Or are they generic “I think this product is great” fluff?
- Can you include face shots of these customers? Studies of online behavior show that the human eye is particularly attracted to people looking back at them.
6. MAKE IT EASY TO BUY
Scratch that, make it really easy for people to buy.
- Include multiple purchase points if you feel like the letter must be long.
7. OFFER FREE OR DISCOUNTED STUFF FOR A LIMITED TIME
You’ll see this with a lot of magazine subscription sales letters and on the shopping channel. They’ll offer you a huge discount, but only if you order in the next 24 hours.
- Humans are programmed to respond to scarcity – we don’t want to lose out on a good deal.
- So see if you can incorporate urgency into your tone and offer.
8. INCLUDE TRUST FACTORS
Despite wanting something for nothing (or for next-to-nothing), people are very suspicious about those who offer it.
- So reassure your readers with a money-back guarantee,
- An identifiable way to contact you,
- And any other trust factors (like awards) that show them you’re above board.
9. TELL PEOPLE WHAT’S IN IT FOR THEM
Funnily enough, sometimes this point gets missed in a sales letter.
- But as you’re telling your reader what’s in it, don’t forget to focus on their issues.
- Emphasize individual benefits – tell the customer how they’ll personally be enlightened, improved, educated or entertained.
10. INCLUDE CALL-OUTS
These might include text boxes, graphs or images that snag people’s interest and anchor the surrounding text. For example:
- 5 Things You Didn’t Know Can Harm You
- A pie chart of the content
- An image and a graphic showing how previous customers’ incomes have doubled
11. BREAK UP THE TEXT
This one’s a no-brainer.
- Use bold, checklists, bullet points, graphics – whatever you can to improve scan and skim.
12. OPTIMIZE ONLINE SALES LETTERS
Think about your overall strategy as you’re writing.
- If you’re planning on a PPC campaign, use the appropriate keyword phrases.
- PPC & SEO go hand-in-hand – the more relevant your page is to your ad, the better your quality score.
14. END WITH A STRONG OFFER
Finish up with a recap of what they’re going to get (and get free)
- Give them a little capsule of all the wonderful things that they’ll discover…
- When they click this big orange button that says “Buy Now”
15. DISCOVER MORE SALES LETTER RESOURCES
- How to Write an Effective Sales Letter: 11 Tips
- 5 Greatest Sales Letters of All Time
- 4 Key Elements of Effective Sales Letters
DID I MISS SOMETHING?
Let me know in the comments or head on over to www.squamcreativeservices.com to check out more copywriting tips and resources.
Posted on April 29, 2011
0